Classic Beauty

How stunning is Elizabeth Taylor here? I have always been a classic movie girl, but I have to admit, I'm not as familiar with Elizabeth Taylor's movies. I'm not sure why that is. When I think of her, I think of Giant. Which is a great movie, but I don't think considered her best. Looking through early photos of her though, she is just so beautiful. I'm inspired to watch more of her films. One thing that has always stood out to me about Elizabeth Taylor is how much of a woman she is. You know? Even when she just a young thing, she seemed so self-aware and womanly. I wish I could have a smidge of her persence.

Hawaii

Scott and I have been planning our big 10 year anniversary vacation for awhile. Actually it is our 11 year anniversary this year, but who's counting?

Since we have never taken a beach vacation, it was time to finally head over to Hawaii. And we are bringing Lucy. It should be an adventure. I have a checklist a mile long, and wonderful list of suggestions from those that are in the "know." In fact, it seems like everyone is going to Hawaii, certainly all my brides do, so I was beginning to feel left out.

We are staying on the North Shore of Oahu. For our first Hawaii trip we decided we couldn't miss Pearl Harbor or PCC, but we wanted it to be fairly chill as well. So we booked two nights at the Turtle Bay and 5 at a charming (at least I hope so!) house we found on VRBO.

Want to see some pictures?

Please excuse my poor screen captures.

Sometimes I Play With My Food

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I may be Irish, but historically I haven't really celebrated today, other than wearing green, obviously. Half the time I don't even do that, claiming my green eyes count. Lame, right?

This year I decided to pay homage to my roots with a little Guinness. In a stew, that is.

So, tonight Scott and I are feasting on Guinness Beef Stew and Irish Soda Bread. I even rented Once, which I have been meaning to see for a long time. Once-upon-a-time in Italy I imagined the music was my personal soundtrack. So already Once has a special place in my heart. I debated about renting Michael Collins or the Secret of Roan Inish or even Waking Ned Devine, but decided to go with the love story. And right now I wish I was back in Chicago. One of my life regrets is never seeing the parade when I lived there. Every time I think  of it though, I think of The Fugitive. Do you remember that part?

Anyway, here's to St. Patrick's Day, my Daddy-Daddy McDermott (who was so proud to be Irish), myths, the gift of gab, emerald green, and Guinness.

Lucy Updates

Life can be hectic. Like when Lucy decided to start waking up at 6:30, AND stop taking her 2nd nap last week. And then Scott worked late 2 nights. There was editing to do, and cleaning, and food to cook, and showers to take and appointments to make. And I'd like to say that I was calm and collected, but instead I was blow drying my hair, while Lucy tried to get into the toilet, which meant I was blow drying my hair, with my foot on the toilet seat while Lucy yelled at me. She threw her food, hated having her diaper changed, and kept trying to dump boxes of cereal.  I knew how much those naps meant to my sanity and ability to feel organized, cleaned, and fed, but I didn't REALLY know. Those extra 6 hours that Scott worked this week felt like an extra 40. Lately, Lucy has been so bored and destructive, and I can't seem to find the thing to capture her attention. I think it comes from too much time in too small quarters. I know I've failed Lucy because the one time we did try to go out and play in the snow this week she freaked. To be fair, the snow was deep, and she almost immediately face planted. I'm grateful for the sunny weather that finally came our way.  Walks have been our lifesaver. I've been trying to figure it out. How do I work from home, keep exercising, cook healthy food, play and love Lucy, and keep myself clean and decent? And what about Oliver? He definitely gets the short end. Last week was hard. But every week I resolve to be more present. I always seem to fail this. I think winter is hard in general. Spring brings walks to the park, and picnics, and playgrounds. But here are some Lucy updates, because, you know, I never tire of posting them.

-Lucy now says, Choo choo, while moving her arm up and down.  It's really cute.
-She likes to stomp around in her snow boots. She loves wearing any boots and fusses until we put them on her.
-She has a pouty face she makes, where she puts out her lips and purses. Where did she get that?
-She loves to have dance parties, and shakes her booty pretty funny.
-Her new words are, some (as in wants some), box, dance, mine (uh oh) and thank you.
-Lucy thinks everyone is her friend and walks into a room expecting all the kids to love her and play with her.
-She is finally getting over her stranger anxiety, now holds out her arms to all the girls (sorry, no boys)
-She is getting big. In the tub she looks huge. In her crib she looks huge. I was telling this to my neighbor and she said I should have another. Sigh.

Zions = Sanity

For Valentine's I gave Scott a trip to Zions. We have had a long winter with too many colds and illnesses, so some 60 degree weather sounded just about right.  It was a quick trip; one day to drive down, one day to explore, and one more day to come home.  I think mid-winter trips should be mandatory. Too many days of cold weather sinks the spirit.

Unfortunately, we didn't get 60 degree weather. Fortunately, the park was basically empty, our favorite eateries were open, and our suite was super cheap and luxurious. Unfortunately, I brought the wrong batteries for my camera. Fortunately, I had a used one that still had some juice. Unfortunately, I left my camera bag in the car (which I never do), and my battery ran out on our hike. Unfortunately, I walked all the day down, leaving Scott and Lucy, only to realize no batteries (but then yes! a battery that worked), to walk all the way back, only to realize I was basically at the end of the hike when I turned around. Fortunately, I got these photos. Fortunately, we could drive our car, versus taking the tram. Unfortunately, there were only porta-potty's open. 

All in all, though, the trip was pretty drama free. Lucy did great in the car, Scott and I relaxed, the park was beautiful and our illnesses were on the mend. All was good until Lucy woke up the morning we were leaving with the stomach flu.  Plus there was a huge storm warning in effect. Luckily, Lucy finished her puking before we left and made it home sick free. We also beat the storm (for the most part), which was lucky, because a few hours after we left all the mountain passes were closed, and there were 9 inches in Beaver. No offense to Beaver, but I didn't want to get trapped there. Fortunately, the puking woke us up 2 hours earlier than normal, and we therefore got on the road before most of it hit.

And that is my very long story of our very short trip.  More pictures over here. Bonus points if you can find Scott in one of the photos. Also, I decided on this trip I want to hike the Narrows. I have always wanted to, and I think this year is the year to do it.

Random Stuff

The other day I helped my friend Kim out with her RS Birthday Celebration. It was a night in Paris, and she had created this darling Eiffel Tower Photobooth. I took the pictures with her Polaroid, and completely butchered a French accent. It was a lot of fun and of course, we had to take our photo too.

And since I very rarely have my photo taken, this photo serves as my weight loss goal update. So far I have lost 7 pounds. Which is great, I'm not complaining. But it is slow moving. I have been working on this since November 1st. It was a combination of Lucy being weaned and my consumption of an entire bag of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups that jump started me. And I have been working out 5 days a week for over 4 months. In addition, I have completely changed my diet. Whole grains! Only water!  Minimal red meat!  Smaller portions! Scott, on the other hand, decided he wanted to lose weight 3 weeks ago. He has now lost 10 pounds. So not fair. But this week has been hard. I have wanted to snack. I have wanted 2nd helpings. I don't want to go do my Tracy Anderson Mat workout (which I'm currently procrastinating while writing this.) But 7 pound is respectable.  I will take it.  I have 15 more to go.  I will not be overwhelmed by this number. The good news, I'm pretty sure I'm stronger and healthier than I have ever been.  I ran 30 minutes yesterday. That is unheard of for me. I may run slow, but I didn't stop.  My favorite workout is Zumba. My least favorite is the lifting class. I'm obsessed with healthy food and have been making whole wheat pita bread, hummus, lots of salmon, and lots of salads. It has been fun. I have a new love for cooking.  

In other news, Lucy likes to growl, she has a new pouty face, she wears her snow boots all day long and stomps around the house. She goes crazy when she sees balls at the grocery store (BALL! BALL! BALL!) Life is exciting around here!

Food

I'm not sure why I'm posting this, except that I put a lot of thought into our meals for the week, so it is fun for me to see what the whole week looks like.  I have really enjoyed getting into cooking the last few months.  We have definitely had a focus of healthy eating, so I like to find food blogs that have delicious and good-for-you recipes.  I also look for things that work well as leftovers, since I'm making a big focus on eating lunch, versus just grabbing something.  So, without further ado, The Meal Plan for this week,

Monday: Roasted Tomato Soup/Toasted Wheat Bread/Balsamic Roasted Zucchini
Tuesday: Lemon Basil Salmon/Spinach Salad (Scott did this one, so no recipe)
Wednesday: Wholewheat Pizza/Caramelized Onions/Cherry Tomatoes/Fresh Mozzarella
Thursday: Roasted Tomato Soup/Grilled Cheese
Friday: Chicken Lettuce Wraps/Brown Rice
Saturday: Pumpkin Waffles/Caramelized Cinnamon Apples/Fresh Squeezed OJ

Mmmmmmmm.  So yummy.  I did all of the grocery shopping today, and it felt so good (and expensive) to have all these ingredients in the house waiting to be made.  I modified the soup recipe.  I didn't mix the bread in, because I thought it was thick enough and I like to dip the bread in soup.  Also, I roasted half an onion, and extra garlic.

I'm always on the hunt for recipes.  What do you like to cook for dinner?